Nokia and Microsoft unveil new Lumias with wireless charging, PureView

Dual-core processors on tap for next generation of Nokia Windows Phone handsets.

Two new Windows Phone 8 smartphones, the Nokia Lumia 920 and 820, were unveiled at a joint Microsoft and Nokia event today. The handsets include built-in wireless inductive charging, PureView cameras, and dual-core processors, a change from the duo's single-core approach in the first round of Lumias.

The screen on the phones measure 4.5 inches diagonally, and the 920 will have five body color options: white, gray, black, yellow, and red. The Lumia 820 has a wider range of color options, including purple and blue. The Lumia 920 will have 1GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor, and a 2000mAh battery.

The 820 differs in the body design, though it uses the same polycarbonate material, and has a 1650mAh battery. The 820's back cover snaps off to provide access to an SD card slot.

The PureView camera inside the phones is not the 41-megapixel monster found inside the Nokia 808 PureView phone, but is instead 8 megapixels. The camera is also able to record 1080p video, and both the lens and assembly are mounted on tiny springs to help keep it stable even if a jittery person is holding it.

Nokia has also refined its suite of location apps for Windows Phone 8. The phones will include Nokia Drive—just as the first-generation Lumias did—which will feature turn-by-turn and voice directions. Nokia Transport has been updated with departure times for public transportation. Nokia Maps now includes maps of indoor areas, and allows users to overlay venue information over the street view of an area as seen by the phone's camera, using augmented reality in a feature called City Lens.

Windows Phone 8 has also received some tweaks. On the Lumia phones, users can now make smaller-size tiles to arrange on the home screen, which helps with the low-ish information density that we noted in our Nokia Lumia 900 review.

Joe Belfiore, corporate vice president of Microsoft, noted that all Windows Phone 7 and 7.5 apps still work with Windows Phone 8 and scale to the new Lumia's larger screen. Windows Phone 8 also now allows users to take screenshots.

In the camera app, Microsoft has replaced the zoom bar with the ability to pinch-zoom. A new feature called Cinemagraph allows users to create a composite picture of an intended target from several photos, in order to eliminate people or objects that get between the subject and the camera. Using several photos, users can identify and remove interlopers to get a complete photo of the subject. Photo synchronization has also been more tightly integrated between Windows Phone 8, Windows 8, and SkyDrive, such that Lumia 920 owners can take a photo on their phone and sync it automatically to their Windows 8 tablet or PC via a SkyDrive folder.

Timing, pricing, and availability will all remain a mystery at this time. Microsoft and Nokia promise these details will be announced in the fourth quarter of this year.

Casey Johnston
Casey Johnston is the former Culture Editor at Ars Technica, and now does the occasional freelance story. She graduated from Columbia University with a degree in Applied Physics. Twitter@caseyjohnston

I'm not buying into Metro, even on a phone. Android = Linux, and Linux > Microsoft Products.

Having owned a Lumia 900 for the past 5 months or so, I actually really appreciate the interface. I like it more than iOS and more than Android in the limited flavours I have used. I realize that your post is nothing more than Linux fanboyism and is bound to derail the discussion quickly, but maybe we can keep it on track.

I am disappointed in the camera.. I was hoping for a toned down version of their 42MP monster. The phone seems awfully thick, too. I don't have my phone handy, but the 920 looks to be more than twice the thickness of the headphone jack. Granted, I don't have a problem with the 900's dimensions and it might just be the curved back playing tricks on me.

edit: I am still excited for the phone and will probably be getting one in the next 6 months. After spending a lot of time on WP7, I think MS is really on the right track.

These look awesome. Casey any word on the GPU? If the cameras on these are comparable or better than the 4S the 920 will be my next phone. I have the Galaxy S3 running Jelly Bean and while I'm in love with it, the camera still doesn't come close to the iPhone 4S (my last phone).

I have to say that I bought hold of a Lumia 800 in early July. I bought it because I loved the minimalism of the design and I'm definitely impressed with the Windows Phone 7 interface. It's very simple, fast and doesn't have the superfluous eye-candy that I've seen with recent Android releases (although Android is certainly much better than it was when I owned an Android handset). I appreciate what some others would regard as 'plain' - I just like the aesthetic. It's a really great OS with only one or two minor issues.

I'm really excited for Nokia. The Lumia series (especially the higher-end phones) are really excellent and I hope that they can recoup some of their market share with these new releases. The designs are just beautiful, easy to hold and wonderfully well-made. I cannot praise them enough. Wireless charging looks like a great technology and it's something I would like on my Lumia 800 - although I'm quite happy without it.

I'm rather hoping the next iPhone will have inductive charging too (and NFC and a finger-print reader).

If it doesn't, I think the nok having this feature will give the spurs to apple to include it by mid to late 2013.. (btw, I'm a little surprised the nok has it, as I thought the intel tech enabling this was supposed to be a 2013 CY roll out?

I'm rather hoping the next iPhone will have inductive charging too (and NFC and a finger-print reader).

If it doesn't, I think the nok having this feature will give the spurs to apple to include it by mid to late 2013.. (btw, I'm a little surprised the nok has it, as I thought the intel tech enabling this was supposed to be a 2013 CY roll out?

MSTF dictates the hardware for Windows phone. Nokia can invent PureView, or any other great invention. Its still up to MSFT to support the hardware. This is the Achilles heel when you use MSFT phone.

The advantages of Windows Phone is that MSFT controlls the platform, therefore can make it secure and optimise for it. Lumia 920 uses 18 month old technology, but I bet that the benchmarks will be great, thanks to optimisation.

The only problem that I see for these things are that they get announced and then the lead time to an actual release is HUUUUUGELY long. It will be over 2 months before I suspect you can find one in the wild (I heard Oct 29th). I am totally betting that won't mean a phone I can buy where I am for 3 (would love to be wrong here).

As much as I don't like the iphone, at least when they announce one, you can generally get one soon if not very soon after the announcment. This is the same 'problem' I have with the Windows tablet - would love to get my hands on one but.....dun dun dun....nothing to buy. May as well be vaporware for the time being.

Now yes, I know it is being driven off the W8 launch but dangit, its a huge penguin to be seeing these things 'released' but not really being released if you follow me. I want a new phone and my wife wants one for her birthday (which is soon and well in advance of November).

The only thing stopping me is that I have just under 125 GB of music in iTunes Match.

Given that I listen to music through my iPhone at work and in the car, I'd need an alternative.

Is there anything out there that would work? I don't particularly fancy paying $200 a year for a 200 GB Dropbox account. SkyDrive is more reasonable at £32/year ($49?) for 125 GB total storage, but that's the absolute maximum it can be expanded to.

Even with all of this, the lack of music-playback-software integration would be rather annoying. The iOS music app makes managing streaming and local copies pretty easy.

I'd rather not go down the route of getting an iPod Touch or keeping my iPhone around just for music, but I guess that's one option.

The pictures I've been seeing raise the same question I have every year. Why don't these companies hire presenters? Models? Celebrities? I mean, Steve Jobs was brilliant at this, but he had a unique appeal, not just a founder for a cultish fanbase, but an iconic personality with unique history and was clearly pretty charismatic, infuriating and charming even Bill Gates. Why can't these companies find some talent that can competently present this stuff AND look good? If CEOs have such important responsibilities, why are they wasting their time on stuff that most of them were never trained to do, i.e. live performances and tech demonstrations? Ballmer is the most egregious example (because he's clearly a hands-off MBA type rather than a Jobsian passionate salesperson, which was painfully clear for the Surface reveal), but the pictures here - nothing against these Nokia folks, they're doing a great job under trying circumstances and in a sense they deserve their time in the sun, the hardware IS fantastic.

But surely this isn't putting their best foot forward to a global audience? And everyone else does it, not to pick on Nokia. I honestly think the kinect xbox keynote was fantastic, while it was all xbox workers/management iirc, most of them were enthusiastic and photogenic and they had great material with the kinect dancing, etc. Most of them aren't that good, right? You know how some nations have PMs for leadership and Presidents/royalty for figurehead stuff? That's what companies need. It's a good idea whose time has come.

I really hope that the sensor is the same size as the Pureview 808's is. The lossless-but-not-quite zoom felt like a gimmick to me anyway, and having much bigger sensels (or whatever they're called) with actual image stabilization wouldmake this phone just about perfect. If (like I expect) it's just a standard smartphone-sized sensor, then Nokia will have screwed up an incredible chance yet again.

MSTF dictates the hardware for Windows phone. Nokia can invent PureView, or any other great invention. Its still up to MSFT to support the hardware. This is the Achilles heel when you use MSFT phone.

The advantages of Windows Phone is that MSFT controlls the platform, therefore can make it secure and optimise for it. Lumia 920 uses 18 month old technology, but I bet that the benchmarks will be great, thanks to optimisation.

I'm a disappointed that there was no liveblog here of the event. The liveblog at a competitors site kind of sucks compared to what Ars usually does. I'm sure we'll get a liveblog on Sept. 12th of something though.

Anyhow, I like what I'm seeing for the 920. I wish smartphone plans weren't so expensive though. One of these on a MVNO seems like it would be almost perfect to me.

The wireless charging should be nice since it uses an industry standard. You could charge with all manner of already existing pads and don't need to get one specifically from Nokia. This could open the idea of easily charging at a friends house as well. If this tech get really common battery life issues become less important. Have an induction pad built into the center console of the car, on the counter at home, at the desk in the office. Who needs a 20 hour battery if you never spend more than 4 away from a charging surface?

I really hope that the sensor is the same size as the Pureview 808's is. The lossless-but-not-quite zoom felt like a gimmick to me anyway, and having much bigger sensels (or whatever they're called) with actual image stabilization wouldmake this phone just about perfect. If (like I expect) it's just a standard smartphone-sized sensor, then Nokia will have screwed up an incredible chance yet again.

Having that sensor hang off the back of the phone isn't going to make Nokia get any new customers. It's a real eye-sore, and 8MP is plenty good for printed pictures.

I don't use it as my daily phone, but I dig my Lumia 800. Love the design of it. That said the yellow 920 looks like they took a picture of a smartphone and slapped it on a rectangle with sharp corners. Kinda odd.

The only thing stopping me is that I have just under 125 GB of music in iTunes Match.

Given that I listen to music through my iPhone at work and in the car, I'd need an alternative.

Is there anything out there that would work? I don't particularly fancy paying $200 a year for a 200 GB Dropbox account. SkyDrive is more reasonable at £32/year ($49?) for 125 GB total storage, but that's the absolute maximum it can be expanded to.

Even with all of this, the lack of music-playback-software integration would be rather annoying. The iOS music app makes managing streaming and local copies pretty easy.

I'd rather not go down the route of getting an iPod Touch or keeping my iPhone around just for music, but I guess that's one option.

Spotify has proven a useful alternative to ALL my music anywhere. And it's free in the US.

I hope this keeps Nokia alive and competitive. I need to see the iPhone 5 (and real Lumina reviews, including battery life) before I'll make a choice.

iOS6 is already out in beta form, so you know what features they are going to get on a software basis, and it's nothing really revolutionary or impressive. The hardware will probably get a Retina display and faster processor, but time will tell.. only a few days away!

May sound like a broken record but Why of Why does this not run Android. Day One purchase for me. Going with Microsoft was Nokias biggest mistake. They would be head to head with Samsung if this would run Android.

Now what I do not get at all is the wireless charging. This is so much bulkier than a simple cable you plug in. And for what? Plugging in a cable is not actually terrible work.

MSTF dictates the hardware for Windows phone. Nokia can invent PureView, or any other great invention. Its still up to MSFT to support the hardware. This is the Achilles heel when you use MSFT phone.

The advantages of Windows Phone is that MSFT controlls the platform, therefore can make it secure and optimise for it. Lumia 920 uses 18 month old technology, but I bet that the benchmarks will be great, thanks to optimisation.

I really want a PureView phone with Android/WinPhone/iOS.

Since when is an S4 SoC, 2,000Mah integrated battery and a 1280x768 display 18 month old tech? Are you from a different timeline than us? Do Robots rule the Earth where you're from?

Has anyone found inductive charging useful? I have a dock bedside for my phone, and other than allowing a little more carelessness, is the inductive charging of any benefit over that setup?

It's a little thing, but it makes using your phone more effortless. Never fiddling with a cable. I don't know how it is implemented in the software, but on my Pre3 if a call comes in and I pick it up off the charger, it automatically answers.

It's especially nice in the car. I have a Touchstone on my dash, so I just put the phone there, it sticks magnetically and starts charging. When I get out I just grab it. I don't know if there is enough magnetic hold in the Nokias to do that.

It's not necessary but I would pay to have that feature in my next phone again.

The only thing stopping me is that I have just under 125 GB of music in iTunes Match.

Given that I listen to music through my iPhone at work and in the car, I'd need an alternative.

Is there anything out there that would work? I don't particularly fancy paying $200 a year for a 200 GB Dropbox account. SkyDrive is more reasonable at £32/year ($49?) for 125 GB total storage, but that's the absolute maximum it can be expanded to.

Even with all of this, the lack of music-playback-software integration would be rather annoying. The iOS music app makes managing streaming and local copies pretty easy.

I'd rather not go down the route of getting an iPod Touch or keeping my iPhone around just for music, but I guess that's one option.

There is some Zune music app and Nokia Music. I'm sure you can buy songs there too.

The only thing stopping me is that I have just under 125 GB of music in iTunes Match. *snip*

Spotify has proven a useful alternative to ALL my music anywhere. And it's free in the US.

I should have said, Spotify is a complete non-starter for me. 85% of my music isn't available in the iTunes Store (and had to be uploaded to iTunes Match), let alone on Spotify. Such is the annoyance of listening to a lot of DJ mixes - the track licensing wasn't in place for online streaming until comparatively recently, and I have a lot of live and/or promo mixes which aren't available commercially.

This is an S4, not an S4 Play, correct? The former contains Qualcomm's new 28nm Krait cores, which is awesome. The latter 45nm and contains Cortex A5 cores, which is a bit yesteryear. Branding them both "S4" is pretty shoddy.

This is an S4, not an S4 Play, correct? The former contains Qualcomm's new 28nm Krait cores, which is awesome. The latter 45nm and contains Cortex A5 cores, which is a bit yesteryear. Branding them both "S4" is pretty shoddy.